CHRISTOPHER POPE
Active candidates for Senate District 33
Republican
Democrat
ON THE ISSUES
Answers here were solicited from legislative candidates via a written questionnaire in April 2024, conducted in collaboration between MTFP and the Montana League of Women Voters. Responses here are presented exactly as submitted, without fact-checking or editing for minor punctuation or spelling errors. Readers can access the league's Vote411 resource here.
Legislative candidates who haven't submitted answers to these questions can do so at any time by contacting montanalwv@gmail.com or calling 406-233-9015.
I was born in Biloxi, Mississippi and will be 71 on election day in 2024. I am a long-term resident of Bozeman, Montana, where I live with my wife, Maddy. Together we raised a family and founded The Great Rocky Mountain Toy Company in historic downtown Bozeman, where I served on the boards of numerous organizations, including the Downtown Bozeman Association, Eagle Mount, and the Montana Conservation Corps. I am a retired commercial Realtor with a master's degree in business from the Yale School of Management. My personal and professional experience has been community-based, collaborative and dedicated to public service.
For the first time in a generation, Montanans feel a real, existential threat to their quality of life: excessive property tax increases, unabated inflation of basic goods and services, including food, healthcare and energy; and a general sense of diminished future economic opportunity. I will legislate for immediate, substantive tax reform; for reauthorizing Medicaid Expansion healthcare for working Montana families; for investment and jobs in Montana's new clean energy economy; and, for improved salaries for teachers and other essential public employees. Last but certainly not least, I'll work to defend our independent judiciary and a long list of threatened constitutional protections, including a woman's right to reproductive freedom.
The state legislature has dramatically failed in its responsibility to protect taxpayers from unprecedented increases in residential taxes, leaving homeowners stranded and without recourse. But that's just the beginning of our many tax issues: city/county governments are swamped with unfunded or underfunded state mandates; working class families are paying for aggressive tax cuts for the affluent; millions of tourists visit the Treasure State annually, their water, roads and public safety paid for by local taxpayers. I call for an immediate, comprehensive restructuring of Montana's tax code to more fairly distribute taxes across Montana's increasingly service-oriented, recreational tourist economy.
Principally, the Legislature next session needs to remove the sunset on Medicaid Expansion, the program that provides essential health insurance to Montana's most-vulnerable citizens. As a member of Senate Finance and Claims with oversight on Montana's healthcare budget, I advocate for affordable health services to all citizens to protect our quality of life, including our robust economy, and to protect against financial disaster that an uninsured health care crisis can represent to Montana families. Mental Health and Behavioral Health [substance abuse] services are especially lacking across the state, notably in rural communities. Our kids, our working families, our elderly and our disabled citizens -- all of us -- deserve nothing less.
State school districts are in crisis, fighting for their fiscal health given regressive state laws that threaten the quality and availability of Montana public education. Montana trails the nation in budgeting for public education by a staggering $1,000 per student. And, state law prohibits schools from tracking actual inflation -- instead they must use a three-year trailing average. In today's inflated world that means schools can't keep up, losing significant spending power annually, which threatens the loss of programs, personnel and capacity. Why force our schools to bootstrap their budgets? Meanwhile, let's raise teacher pay and advance laws requiring that ALL public education dollars go to locally-governed public school districts.
MTFP COVERAGE
Election outcomes
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| CHRISTOPHER POPE | 2,810 |
Common voting questions
When are Montana’s 2024 elections?
Voters picked party nominees for the November general election in the June 4 primary. The November General Election that will decide the ultimate winner in each race is set for Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Who runs Montana’s elections?
Montana elections are administered at the county level. The process is overseen by county clerks and election administrators, who help to train and monitor the volunteer election judges that staff the polls. Ballots are typically processed and counted at central county locations, with the results reported to the Montana secretary of state’s office via a statewide software system called ElectMT.
Once polls close, the secretary of state’s office provides results through its website. The state-level office also provides guidance to local election administrators to ensure compliance with state election laws. Additionally, enforcing compliance with some laws governing political campaigns, particularly those involving campaign finance, falls to a separate office known as the Commissioner of Political Practices.
Do I need to be registered in order to vote?
Yes. If you’re unsure about your registration status, you can check it through the Montana secretary of state's My Voter Page. You can register to vote by stopping by your county election office any time during regular business hours to pick up an application. After you’ve filled it out, you’ll need to get it back to your county election office by mail or in person (the latter option is strongly recommended close to Election Day to ensure your application is received in time). If you do present your application in person, you’ll have to provide a photo ID or the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you happen to be applying for a Montana driver’s license or identification card before the election, you can register to vote at the same time.
Can I register to vote on Election Day?
Yes. The state Legislature has sought to enact an earlier registration deadline, but under a March 2024 ruling by the Montana Supreme Court, same-day voter registration remains legal in Montana. Residents can register to vote or update their voter registration at their county’s election office prior to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Does Montana have voter ID requirements?
Yes, you will be required to present identification when voting at the polls. However, under the Montana Supreme Court’s March ruling, changes made to those requirements by the 2021 Legislature remain blocked. The current forms of identification voters can use at the polls are a current Montana driver’s license, state-issued photo ID, tribal or military photo ID, a U.S. passport or a student ID. If you don’t have a photo ID, you can use a utility bill, a bank statement, a voter confirmation card or any other government document that shows your name and address.
Are there situations where I wouldn't be eligible to vote?
According to state law, you can't vote if you'll be under age 18 on Election Day, are not a U.S. citizen, or have lived in Montana less than 30 days. Convicted felons who are currently incarcerated in a penal facility and people whom judges have ruled to be of "unsound mind" are also ineligible to vote. Otherwise, you're good to go.
Can I vote online?
No, that’s not an option in Montana.
Can I vote by mail?
Yes, you can sign up as an absentee voter by checking a box on your voter registration form. If you’re already registered to vote, you can fill out a separate form and submit it to your county election office.
If you’re registered as an absentee voter, a ballot should be mailed to you a few weeks in advance of each election day. You can make sure your address is current via the My Voter page. County election officials are slated to mail ballots to voters for the November 2024 General Election Oct. 11.
You can return ballots by mail, or drop them off in person at your county’s election office. Either way, the election office must receive your ballot by 8 p.m. on Election Day in order to count it.
How do I vote in person?
If you plan to vote at the polls, just be sure you know where your polling location is and head there between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Election Day. You'll need to provide a photo ID or other accepted form of identification and sign the precinct register, at which point you’ll get your ballot and be directed to a voting booth. If you have any technical questions or run into any problems, the election judges at your polling place should be able to help you.
I have a friend or family member who isn't able to drop off his or her mail-in ballot. Can I do it for them?
Yes, you can. The Montana Legislature did make some changes to ballot collection laws in 2021 related to paid ballot collection, but those changes have also been blocked by the Montana Supreme Court.
Who should I vote for?
That’s your call, not ours. We hope the information we present on this guide is helpful as you make that decision for yourself, though.
About this project
This guide was produced by the Montana Free Press newsroom with production by Eric Dietrich, web development by Eric Dietrich and Jacob Olness, editing by Brad Tyer and Nick Ehli and contributions from Arren Kimbel-Sannit, Mara Silvers, Alex Sakariassen, Amanda Eggert and Stephanie Farmer. Questionnaire responses for legislatiive candidates were collected with help from the Montana League of Women Voters, through the league's Vote 411 program. Contact Eric Dietrich with questions, corrections or suggestions at edietrich@montanafreepress.org.
Montana Free Press is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit, reader-supported news organization serving Montana. MTFP's donor base includes supporters from across Montana's political spectrum, including some Montanans who are candidates in this year's election. MTFP's major donors are listed here and a current list of other supporters is available here. MTFP's news judgments are made entirely independently from donor involvement.
This material is available for republication by other media outlets under Montana Free Press' standard distribution terms.